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Boom Calendar for Grown-ups ~ Curated for Us @ Fifty Plus
Debi Garret is co-owner of Five Points Yoga
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Debi Garret is co-owner of Five Points Yoga

Debi Garret is co-owner of Five Points Yoga

So let’s face it…aging isn’t for the faint of heart. Some of you may be experiencing some of what I’m about to talk about, but if you aren’t now, trust me…you probably will at some point. And that is, no matter what our age, we all have things we don’t love about our physical bodies.

I am now 56 and all of a sudden, I have a belly I didn’t previously have. I don’t care how much core work I do (or teach and I teach way more core than I do myself).

I’ve not accepted this change gracefully, nor the added wrinkles on my face and neck or the saggy skin on my legs and elsewhere. Could I work out a little more intensely? Maybe…but I hate most cardio except for riding my bike and I can’t always ride as much as I’d like. I eat relatively healthy. I have an active lifestyle and I’m happy with the activity I choose to do (lots of walking with my dogs, yoga, some weight lifting, and then cycling when I can).

So…I can choose either to do something different or be more accepting of my body as it is, and as it changes. That being said, I’ve decided to “embrace the belly,” Anytime I look at my body and feel anything other than love, I say out loud, “I love my belly!!! I love my wrinkles!! When I look in the mirror and start to criticize anything, I tell myself, ‘I am so fortunate that I got here and I’m still healthy, strong and able-bodied and doing so many things others wish they could do.’

So, anytime you begin that self talk of hating your body, say either out loud or to yourself how much you love what you were about to hate on. Or focus on something that you do love. I just can’t imagine how it saddens my Creator when I criticize his child. So if you want something to change, and you can do something about it…do it! Otherwise, I would encourage you to “Embrace the ______.” You fill in the blank.

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